Nedavno se u samom srcu Zagreba otvorio novi dječji prostor “Kuća za igru”. Ovaj centar za igru i razvoj namijenjen je djeci različitih dobnih skupina i nudi aktivnosti na ukrajinskom, hrvatskom i engleskom jeziku. “Kuću za igru” osnovale su dvije Ukrajinke — Yuliia Huryeyeva i Kseniia Fisun, koje ćemo danas upoznati.

O preseljenju u Zagreb

Kao i mnoge Ukrajinke, ove mlade žene [obje imaju kćeri] našle su se u Hrvatskoj nakon početka ruske invazije na Ukrajinu 2022. godine. Yuliia je stigla iz Kijeva, a Kseniia iz Odese.

Kseniia: Prvih dana velikog rata toliko sam se bojala za svoje dijete da nisam mogla spavati ni jesti. Zato smo odlučili napustiti dom, iako to nikada nismo planirali.

Yuliia: Tako je, i ja sam se prvenstveno vodila sigurnošću djeteta. Eksplozije, rafalne paljbe, dani provedeni u podrumu — odlučili smo otići. Preseljenjem sam izgubila posao u Kijevu. Kćerin otac trenutno služi na jednom od najžešćih ratišta.

Srećom, djevojke su imale poznanike u Zagrebu. Osim toga, veliku ulogu u njihovoj prilagodbi u glavnom gradu odigrala je ukrajinska dijaspora i aktivna zajednica Zagrepčana.

O prvim mjesecima u Zagrebu

Yuliia: Volonteri su nam izuzetno pomogli: dovezli su nas od same granice i osigurali smještaj za prvu godinu, na čemu smo nevjerojatno zahvalni. Kulturni centar mladih Ribnjak, Ukrajinska zajednica grada Zagreba i udruga “Crvena Kalina” pomogli su nam da se ponovno osjećamo sigurno. S vremenom sam izašla iz režima preživljavanja i sada sam spremna stvarati nešto novo.

Kreativni kutak u Ribnjaku počeo je s radom u ožujku 2022. godine i održavao se svake subote. Ovdje su, pod vodstvom pedagoga centra za glazbenu, dramsku i likovnu umjetnost, raseljenim osobama iz Ukrajine nudili podršku volontera, mogućnost učenja jezika, pronalaska novih prijatelja, a ponekad i samo odmor.

Kasnije su započele i dječje sportske aktivnosti: u ljeto 2022. Hrvatski kriket savez (CCF) i ICC Europe organizirali su program obuke i integracije za ukrajinsku djecu. Ovu inicijativu je preuzela ukrajinska sportašica Yevheniia Korniienko, koja je igrala u hrvatskoj ženskoj kriket reprezentaciji.

Kseniia: Bilo je to vrlo vrijedno! Kao psiholog i psihoterapeut, znam koliko su društvena interakcija, podrška, zajedničke aktivnosti i art terapija važni za djecu. Sa svoje strane, imala sam priliku podržati naše žene. Dok su se djeca bavila kriketom, mame su bile slobodne. Održavale smo sesije meditacije, terapije bajkama, učile smo pravilno disati za smirenje i samoregulaciju. Tako sam postala volonterka ovdje u Hrvatskoj. Iako su cijeli moj život, karijera i prijatelji toliko usko povezani s Ukrajinom da mi je dugo bilo teško i zamisliti da se neću vratiti kući za par tjedana.

Neko je vrijeme Kseniia nastavila raditi uz potporu Isusovačke službe za izbjeglice (JRS), provodeći grupne sate psihološke podrške i oporavka za ukrajinske žene.

Yuliia radi u humanitarnoj organizaciji “Ukrajinski posrednici bez granica” (Ukrainian Brokers Without Borders). Ova organizacija pronalazi sredstva, a Yuliia, kao programska menadžerica, organizira obnovu, opremanje i osiguranje bolnica i perinatalnih centara, vrtića, škola i skloništa u regijama blizu bojišnice u Ukrajini.

O ideji vlastitog projekta

Ideja o stvaranju prostora za djecu rodila se organski iz profesionalne djelatnosti obiju žena. Kseniia ima dugogodišnje iskustvo u radu s djecom te je kod kuće imala vlastiti centar za rani razvoj. U jednom trenutku, želja da žive ovdje i sada, u Zagrebu, da se izraze, rade nešto korisno i važno, ostvarila se u “Kući za igru”. Ovaj pozitivan stav i Yuliijino iskustvo u interakciji s državama i institucijama, budući da je po obrazovanju pravnica, pomogli su im da prebrode težak organizacijski put.

Što “Kuća za igru” nudi sada i kakvi su planovi za budućnost

U Zagrebu postoji mnogo lijepih i modernih igraonica za djecu. No, Ukrajinke su primijetile da za mlađu djecu gotovo da i nema prostora gdje se dijete ne može samo ostaviti da se igra. Nedostaje razvojnih centara za najmlađe — s roditeljima i bez njih — gdje bi odmor i igra imali konstruktivan cilj.

Kseniia: Sada odgajamo novu generaciju djece koja od malih nogu komunicira s ekranima i gadgetima, njihov mozak i živčani sustav teško se nose s takvom hiperstimulacijom. Moja je misija ponuditi maloj djeci od 2 godine i njihovim majkama sigurno i korisno zajedničko vrijeme — za razvoj, igru i uspostavljanje kvalitetnog kontakta.

Aktivnosti u centru provode se za djecu od 2 godine na ukrajinskom i hrvatskom jeziku.

Yuliia: Želimo stvoriti multikulturalan i višejezičan prostor u kojem bi se djeca mogla obogatiti ne samo znanjem, već i prijateljima. Već smo otvorili dramski studio [na hrvatskom jeziku], o kojem se brine gospođa Kseniia Royzman — dramska pedagoginja i profesorica hrvatskog jezika s 40 godina iskustva. Radila je u Kulturnom centru Ribnjak, gdje je vodila dramski studio i kazališnu djelatnost. U studiju djeca razvijaju psihosocijalne vještine, komuniciraju, maštaju i stvaraju vlastite priče. Ovdje se bave djeca od 6 do 9 godina.

U planu su i satovi engleskog jezika. Prvi takav tečaj planira se s Jessie Goldman, matematičarkom iz Nizozemske. Jessie je razvila tečaj Mathland, grupnu avanturu-istraživanje logičkih zagonetki i matematičkih ideja, za nizozemske škole. Sada se nastavi mogu pridružiti i Zagrepčani različitih dobnih kategorija. Kroz ovu aktivnost, matematika postaje bliža i razumljivija djeci. Riječ je o metodologiji igre za stjecanje potrebnih životnih vještina vezanih uz matematiku: računanje, razumijevanje težine i volumena, cijena i financijska pismenost.

Yuliia: Nećemo zanemariti ni umjetnost: modeliranje, crtanje i druge aktivnosti bit će dostupne na sva tri jezika.

“Kuća za igru” je mali, ali topao i prijateljski nastrojen prostor u tihom dvorištu na adresi Ilica 29/2 u centru Zagreba. Ovdje je prikladno ostaviti automobil na najbližim parkiralištima, prošetati centrom, posjetiti kafiće i trgovine. U međuvremenu će se djeca dobro zabaviti s vršnjacima i steći korisna znanja i vještine. U centru će djeca moći razvijati emocionalnu inteligenciju, kritičko i metaforičko mišljenje, upoznavati nove kulture i pronalaziti prijatelje.

Yuliia i Kseniia se nadaju da je ovo tek početak dugog i korisnog puta rada u Zagrebu. Redakcija im želi puno uspjeha!

Living Today and for the Future

A new children’s space, “Kuća za igru” (House for Play), recently opened in the very heart of Zagreb. This center for play and development, catering to different age groups, offers classes in Ukrainian, Croatian, and English. “Kuća za igru” was created by two Ukrainian women — Yuliia Huryeyeva and Kseniia Fisun, whom we will meet today.

About Moving to Zagreb

Like many Ukrainians, the young women [both have daughters] found themselves in Croatia after russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Yuliia came from Kyiv, and Kseniia from Odesa.

Kseniia: During the first days of the large-scale war, I was terrified for my child that I couldn’t sleep or eat. That’s why we decided to leave home, although we had never planned to.

Yuliia: Yes, yes, I was also primarily guided by my child’s safety. Explosions, machine gun fire, days spent in the basement — we decided to evacuate. With the move, I lost my job in Kyiv. My daughter’s father is currently serving on one of the hottest fronts.

Fortunately, the women had acquaintances in Zagreb. Furthermore, the Ukrainian diaspora and the active community of Zagreb residents played a huge role in their integration.

About the First Months in Zagreb

Yuliia: Volunteers helped us immensely: they drove us from the very border and provided housing for the first year, for which we are incredibly grateful. The Ribnjak Youth Cultural Center, the Ukrainian Community of the City of Zagreb, and the “Chervona Kalyna” fund helped us feel confident again. I eventually emerged from survival mode and am now ready to create something new.

The club at Ribnjak began operating in March 2022 and was held every Saturday. Here, under the guidance of the center’s music, theatre, and art educators, internally displaced people from Ukraine were offered volunteer support, the opportunity to learn the language, find new friends, and sometimes simply rest.

Later, children’s sports activities also began: in the summer of 2022, the Croatian Cricket Federation (CCF) and ICC Europe organized an education and integration program for Ukrainian children. This initiative was picked up by the Ukrainian athlete Yevheniia Korniienko, who played for the Croatian women’s national cricket team.

Kseniia: This was so valuable! As a psychologist and psychotherapist, I know how important social interaction, support, shared activities, and art therapy are for children. On my part, I was able to support our women. While the children were playing cricket, the mothers were free. We held sessions of meditation, fairy tale therapy, and learned proper breathing for calming and self-regulation. That’s how I became a volunteer here in Croatia. Although my entire life, career, and friends were so closely connected to Ukraine, it was hard for me for a long time even to imagine that I wouldn’t be returning home in a couple of weeks.

For a period, Kseniia continued to work with the support of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), conducting group sessions for psychological support and recovery for Ukrainian women.

Yuliia works at the humanitarian organization “Ukrainian Brokers Without Borders”. This organization finds funding, and Yuliia, as a program manager, organizes the reconstruction, equipping, and securing of hospitals and perinatal centers, kindergartens, schools, and shelters in frontline regions of Ukraine.

About the Idea for Their Project

The idea to create a space for children was born organically from the professional work of both women. Kseniia has many years of experience working with children and used to run her own early development center back home. At a certain point, the desire of both to live here and now, in Zagreb, to express themselves, and to do something useful and important, materialized in “Kuća za igru.” This positive attitude and Yuliia’s experience in interacting with governments and institutions, as she is a lawyer by education, helped them navigate the difficult organizational path.

What “Kuća za igru” Offers Now and Future Plans

There are many beautiful and modern play centers for children in Zagreb. However, the Ukrainian women noticed that there are almost no spaces for younger children where they can be left not only to play play but get something more. There is a lack of development centers for the youngest—with and without parents—where fun and play have a constructive purpose.

Kseniia: We are now raising a new generation of children who interact with screens and gadgets from an early age; their brain and nervous system struggle greatly with such hyperstimulation. My mission is to offer young children from 2 years old and their mothers safe and beneficial time together— for development, play, and establishing quality connection.

Classes at the center are held for children from 2 years old in Ukrainian and Croatian.

Yuliia: We want to create a multicultural and multilingual space where children can be enriched not only with knowledge but also with friends. We have already opened a theatre studio [in Croatian], which is overseen by Ms. Kseniia Royzman. She is an acting and Croatian language teacher with 40 years of experience. She worked at the Ribnjak Cultural Center, where she managed the acting studio and theatrical activities. In the studio, children aged 6 to 9 develop psychosocial skills, communicate, imagine, and create their own stories.

English classes are planned for the future. The first such course is planned with Jessie Goldman, a mathematician from the Netherlands. Jessie developed the Mathland course, a group adventure-exploration of logical puzzles and mathematical ideas, for Dutch schools. Now, Zagreb residents of various age categories can also join the classes. Through this activity, mathematics becomes closer and more understandable to children. It is a game methodology for acquiring necessary life skills related to mathematics: calculation, understanding weight and volume, prices, and financial literacy.

Yuliia: We won’t overlook the arts either: modeling, drawing, and other activities will be available in all three languages.

“Kuća za igru” is a small but warm and friendly space in a quiet courtyard at Ilica 29/2 in the center of Zagreb. It’s convenient to leave your car in the nearest parking lots, take a stroll through the center, and visit cafes and shops. Meanwhile, the children will have a good time with peers and gain useful knowledge and skills. At the center, children will be able to develop emotional intelligence, critical and metaphorical thinking, learn about new cultures, and find friends.

Yuliia and Kseniia hope that this is just the beginning of a long and fruitful path of work in Zagreb. The editorial team wishes them great success!